ELECTIONS WATCH: We like many are quite interested by the upcoming elections to take place soon in a region seething with ethnic hatreds, volatile nationalisms, and religious difference. I refer of course to Canada. Our friend Michael Stickings has an excellent roundup of election happenings, including the presence on the Liberal list of Michael Ignatieff, of whom we on OxBlog are quite fond.

That roundup doesn't seem that clever. He's been following polls, not news.

The scandals in this election are beyond belief:

1. The Liberals laundered government funds into party coffers through "consultants" who were supposed to advocate federalism. ("Gomery")

2. The Liberals leaked financial numbers to Bay Street (their Wall Street or City) so that they could make millions on it. This is insider trading. ("Income Trust Scandal")

The Liberals have lost credibility. That's what happened. This is a totally non-ideological campaign.

And the Liberal riding chair that your friend Ignatieff, just endorsed the Conservative. His candidate was illegally prevented from registering by the Federal party to make sure that Ignatieff, who has not lived in Canada for over 2 decades, could get the seat.

First of all, that "Liberal riding President" himself doesn't even live in the riding Ignatieff was nominated for. That's the big joke. He criticizes Ignatieff for not being a resident, yet he himself was not a resident. Moreoever, this "President" marshalled a hostile takeover of the riding association 2 years ago and did not support the previous elected member. When she decided to retire (she's 68), she told senior Liberals rather than the riding exec that did not support her. I don't blame her. And so what goes around comes around for that guy. His resignation a couple days before the election was a final, desperate cheap shot. He's done.

Ignatieff has been democratically elected and might very well be the next leader of the Liberal party. If so, look for a new party arising with a new national and international vision.